Not Going Home
by taylorandmacster10
Summary: An ode to season 2, episode 10 of Chicago PD with some twists and tweaks along the way. Set in the current season, a Jay whump story.
1. Chapter 1

Not Going Home

 **Greetings everyone and a very belated happy new year! While I have enjoyed my little writing hiatus, I am fired up and ready to dive back into story sharing. My hiatus included a little trip to the stunning city of Chicago and I was very much inspired. This story is an ode to season 2 episode 10 titled, "Shouldn't Have Been Alone." I was watching it a couple of weeks ago and found myself wondering why the show hasn't had another episode like it. It has suspense, thrills, explosions, humor, love, and twists and turns along the way. It's one of my favorite PD episodes. We're tweaking a few things along the way, but I hope you enjoy this one. I should note that this takes place immediately following the latest episode of PD. Without further or do, let's get into this.**

Chapter 1- Why Are You Still Conscious

 _"_ _Is that Adam?"_

 _"_ _Yeah."_

 _"_ _You should go."_

 _"_ _Yeah."_

 _"_ _I'll see you later."_

It was a reluctant departure to say the least. She was torn: stay with Jay and guide him through the post-op of a tough case or answer the tempting text Adam sent. Jay put on his best 'I'm fine' demeanor, but there was this thing, an ulterior force telling her that leaving was a bad idea. She shook it off and rose to leave, a growing seed of uneasiness in her gut. She felt his eyes following her out of the bar, but didn't dare turn around. It's where their relationship was at the moment and she wasn't sure how to change the circumstances, kick things into the next gear. So she quickly, but not too swiftly, walked towards the door and pulled it open, being met with the drastic coldness of the January evening in the city.

Jay sat his place at the bar a few minutes longer, daydreaming into his beer bottle, contemplating what all was just discussed. But then he bunny trailed to her, a little jealous of Adam receiving her attention tonight. While he was not a home wrecker, and respected each of them, he hated that he didn't make a move sooner; truly tell her how he felt. Those thoughts were quickly pushed away. No need to fret or scheme over events of the past. So he got up and threw a twenty on the counter, retreating to the exit to make the briefly forgotten gentlemanly gesture.

"Hailey, wait." She quickly spun around to a lightly jogging Jay catching up to her. She gave him a puzzled look.

"It's rude to make you walk out to the car by yourself. Especially since I asked you out here." He met up with her and put his jacket around her. While she wouldn't say it, she was appreciative for the bonus layer. It was uber chilly out and she'd admit to being freezing cold. She nodded a thanks and the two continued to her car. They were silent on the way, each scanning their surroundings. She went to open her door but Jay stood in the way.

"I've got it," he insisted as he placed a hand on the handle.

"You're too kind" she jokingly replied as she climbed into the driver seat. She removed his jacket and handed it back to him.

"Sure you're ok?!" He convincingly nodded.

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." He closed the door and began the walk back to the truck. She turned the key in the ignition and sat for a few minutes, allowing the engine to warm up while simultaneously grasping for a reason to not meet up with Adam. A few minutes later, she put the car in reverse and slowly pressed the gas. She was halfway out of the spot when a gunshot rang out. It was close enough for her to catch a flash of light out of the corner of her eye. Fear consumed her for a second before the adrenaline kicked in. In a millisecond, the car was in park and she was sprinting towards Jay's car, the scene stopping her dead in her tracks.

"Jay! Talk to me," she called out as she got into a crouch, gun drawn as she looked around the corner. Satisfied with the safety level, she holstered her gun and dropped to her knees at Jay's head, taking in the bullet hole on the left side of his face. In that moment, there wasn't a scenario that didn't have him dying before the night was up. Tears were starting to form as she scrambled for something to hold over his face. His eyes were wide open with disbelief and shock. His hands were shaking as they made their way towards his face. Hailey grabbed them and pulled them back down.

"No, Jay. Don't move. You're shot. Just breathe." he just blinked in response. His eyelids would close for a second before opening wide again. He was writhing about, trying to now get into a sitting position. Hailey stopped her search for a compression and placed both hands on his shoulders.

"Do not move. You're bleeding from your face and you might have spinal damage." He ignored her and now tried to roll over, gagging as he did so. Hailey got the message and assisted him, watching as a frightening amount of blood came up and fell onto the ground. By now, occupants of the bar ventured out, calling out for someone.

"Call an ambulance! We've got a gunshot wound and he needs a hospital right now!" Hailey screamed as footsteps scurried back towards a door. The bar door slammed open moments later, the bar tender sprinting to relay information to Hailey.

"Ambulance is on its' way. Here's a towel….oh my word." Hailey literally grabbed the towel out of her hands, ignoring the freaking out in the woman's tone. Now wasn't the time to panic. Someone had to be sane in this situation.

"Jay, this is going to hurt. I'm sorry." She firmly pressed on his face, getting a couple of grunts and hard blinks in return.

"Why are you still conscious" Hailey spoke into the situation, receiving a small shrug from the shivering person under her hands. The faintest sound of a siren was picked up moments later. Hailey breathed a small sigh of relief.

"They're coming…they're coming…" Hailey kept repeating. Jay blinked a couple more times before finally giving in to unconsciousness' sedative offer. Hailey sniffed away the tears as the ambulance screeched to a halt at the end of the truck. She prayed that wasn't the last time those blue eyes would have life behind them. The paramedics jolted her back to reality.

"What've we got?"

"Gunshot wound to the face. I applied pressure and he was conscious till a couple minutes ago." Hailey felt her whole body weaken as she stepped away, allowing the medics to do their thing. She wiped the blood on her hands on her pants before feeling for her phone, selecting the precinct before putting the phone to her ear.

…

Trudy Platt was gathering her coat while giving out final updates for the overnight officer on desk duty.

"Baker and Johnson are on bickering terms again so keep them separated for the night. Car eight fifty-seven needs the body shop paperwork filled out before it's shipped to the shop in the morning and that girl over there is wanting for her parent. Do not let her out of your sight. Goodnight people!" The phone rang as Trudy was halfway to the door.

"I'm not here. Get that." She made it down one flight of steps before the desk sergeant yelled for her. With an extra amount of attitude, she begrudgingly shuffled back up the steps to the screaming voice.

"What now?! It's nighttime. This can't be something you can't handle." The man behind the counter wore a shocked expression as he pointed the phone in her direction.

"You need to take this." She shook her head as she thrust the phone against her ear.

"What."

"Sarge? It's Hailey. Jay's been shot. He's…I mean…" Trudy's mouth dropped as she stuttered, listening to Hailey sob.

"Where are you?!"

"Some bar in river north. I don't remember the name. Just ping my phone."

"Done. Hailey, breathe." By now, Burgess was opening the gate at the bottom of Intelligence's steps. She was stopped short by Platt snapping her fingers at her, telling someone on the phone to hang on.

"Burgess! Get Voight. Jay's been shot and he's on the way to Med." Kim nearly fell over herself and as she spun around and raced to relay the message.

"Hailey. They're on their way. Stay with Jay."

"Yes, Sarge." Trudy slammed the phone down and beelined it for the exit, nothing was going to stand between her and the hospital.

…

It was a blurry ride from the bar to the hospital. Hailey was zoned out by now, allowing the shock of everything to consume her for a moment. Jay was in the caring hands of qualified people. She'd compose herself when they arrived at their destination. Now was the opportune moment to let everything sink in. She picked up random things spoken along the way. The medic tending to Jay called out information for the driver to pass along to the hospital. Something about no exit wound and possible artery damage resonated with Hailey as she focused her attention on her partner. He hadn't regained consciousness and the amount of blood steadily pumping out from his face made Hailey want to puke. The paramedic replaced the gauze on his face three times in the last seven minutes. But the location of the wound and draining skin color were what stood out against the whole situation. People don't survive things like this. With so many critical areas in such a small space, it was nearly impossible for there to not be permanent, life altering damage. Hailey swallowed the fear and worry as the ambulance came to an abrupt stop in the bay at Med. The doors were flung open and five worried faces greeted the party in the rig. Ethan Choi and a nurse grabbed the gurney as stats were presented. Hailey waited for the crowd to leave before climbing out, rounding the back of the vehicle only to be met by an understandably worried Will Halstead.

Hailey was grateful that someone took on the awful task of alerting him. She wasn't looking forward to having to ruin Will's night with news like that. The two of them stood a foot apart from each other for a few seconds, taking each other in. Hailey still had Jay's blood on her clothes and quickly realized how frightening she must've appeared. He did a quick scan of her before speaking.

"What happened?"

"I…we…I met up with Jay after a case and we talked for a bit before leaving for the night. He walked me to my car and I was backing out when I heard a gunshot." Hailey didn't feel the need to continue. She adjusted her feet and looked down at the ground. Will nodded before embracing her with a hug.

"Thank you for being there," he spoke. Hailey half nodded before stepping away, pointing towards the entrance.

"I need to go clean up," she announced and he ushered her to go first. She made it to closing a bathroom stall door before shrinking down into a sitting position and sobbing.

…

Ethan was waving a penlight over Jay's eyes when Will snuck into the room. The doctor looked over at him before returning to his patient.

"Will, you know the rules."

"I'm not going to touch him, but I'm not leaving him." Ethan nodded before spewing out information and orders.

"Left pupil is sluggish but there. Probably bruised from the impact. Definite shattered cheekbone and possible fractured eye socket. Get a portable x-ray in here and page trauma and ortho. He needs to go up soon." Will approached the gurney as nurses scrambled about the room, setting up IVs and connecting Jay monitors. Now at a closer position, Will was able to truly take everything in. He glanced at the place on his brother's face covered in gauze but didn't linger long. He was a little surprised at how calm he was in this moment and didn't want to encourage that to change. The swelling was already kicking in, indicating the broken bones on the left side of Jay's face. Will grabbed a hand and squeezed it, half hoping for something in return.

"Hang in there, Jay. We've got you," he spoke to the unconscious body. Dr. Choi allowed Will to remain at Jay's side as he intubated Jay via his nose. With the potential damage to his mouth, intubation was limited to the nasal passages or a trache and Jay didn't have enough time for a tracheotomy to be performed. Choi sprayed the numbing spray into Jay's right nostril and began inserting the long tube. It was halfway in when Jay's eyes snapped open. Will gasped a little when he noticed Jay conscious; a small miracle considering. It didn't take long for him to start squirming about and moving his hands towards his face.

"Hey Jay, just relax you're in the hospital. Don't move," Will spoke. Jay's eyes circled around the room, clearly confused and out of it. Will squeezed his hand, hoping to re-direct Jay's attention back to his voice.

"Just hold still. I know this feels weird but it's necessary." Jay nodded after a moment and Ethan resumed shoving the tube down the nostril. Air was pushing into Jay's lungs moments later he was fighting the urge to rip the device out, sub-consciously reaching up to yank on the tube.

"No, you can't do that. Just let it do the breathing." Will tried his best to reassure Jay without showing his panic. It was impossible to not stare at the growing blood stain on the gauze and it took everything to not freak out. The x-ray machine was rolled in moments later and Will stepped back.

"You're ok, Jay. Just stare at the thing above you and don't move." Jay blinked a couple of times as the black box above him rattled and snapped. The pain was beginning to stir and Jay couldn't communicate it. The image on the screen confirmed what they all feared. The bullet was still in his face and resting on his facial artery, a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, furthering its' journey into the precious facial bones and muscles. Even in his state of confusion and shock, Jay picked up that things weren't good. He finally remembered he had a mouth and tried to open it to speak but was met with a sharp pain, making him grunt in pain and tears to instantly start forming. Will turned away from the screen.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. You're going to be ok. Just don't move your mouth." The alarms from the monitoring leads began going off, alerting those in the room that things were becoming out of control.

"He needs to go up now." Choi began disconnecting cords as Jay fought alertness. Will grabbed a side of the gurney and helped push Jay towards the elevator. The two brothers locked in on each other as they waited for the doors to open. Will gave his best reassurance smile as Jay's eyelids slowly shut. Will released his grip on the gurney and watched as the elevator climbed the floors, realizing he didn't say goodbye and hoping it wasn't necessary for him to do so.

 **We're jumping right into the action. Thank you for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2- Answers For The Questions

 **You guys rock. Thank you so, so much for the incredible feedback. I would like to clarify that the inspiration for this story is the episode from season 2 but the dialog at the very beginning of chapter 1 is from the current season episode 12. I hope this clears up any confusion this might have caused (thank you Lima for pointing that out!). Let's start answering some critical questions.**

Will eventually made his way up to the waiting room just off the OR doors only to be greeted by a crowded room stuffed with all of Intelligence, Trudy Platt, and various police officers from the district. Will felt the urge to cry over the beauty, kindness, and support of the scene. He hated that these situations were becoming more common, but was always touched by the outpouring of presence and thoughtfulness of the brotherhood of police officers. If nothing else, this moment showed Will how not alone or forgotten Jay was in this dark, uncertain moment. Will nodded his head as he scanned the crowd, silently thanking them for showing up. Trudy was the first to break the stare off and extend open arms, Will willingly took them. For the next several minutes, everyone filed through, offering words of encouragement and readiness to help while giving warming hugs. Once the crowd dwindled down to Intelligence and Platt, Will found a chair closest to the door and sat, everyone else following suit.

"Thanks guys for coming. I'm sure Jay will be happy to know you guys were here." He received collective nods.

"How did he look?"

"Um, ok considering. He did regain consciousness for a bit in the ED before they brought him up, which is miraculous. The bullet is still lodged in one of his facial bones so hopefully the damage isn't too severe. He definitely has a broken cheekbone and possible broken eye socket and internal bleeding around the impact so…we'll see how it all goes. What do you guys know so far? Who's running the investigation?"

"Forensics is at the scene now and everything is locked down. We're running point on it and heading over there shortly." Will nodded. He knew there wasn't any chance Intelligence wouldn't take the case.

"Have they found anything?"

"Still waiting for an update."

"You guys should go. It's going to be several hours before he gets out and I'm sure Jay will want some answers when he wakes up." Will knew he was communicating things that weren't definite, but he didn't care. He couldn't reside in the 'maybe' or 'hopefully' mentality right now. Something needed to be believed. He kept repeating to himself that Jay would be fine, even if he totally didn't feel the conviction.

"Are you sure? We're ready for whatever."

"Yeah, I'll update you guys as soon as I get anything." He got sad and uncertain facial expressions, but they eventually rose and headed for the door, Hailey the last to get up. She was fighting ever fiber of her being telling her to stay. But common sense reminded her that the best way to help Jay was to figure out and capture whoever did this to him. Wallowing in her fear and anxiety wasn't going to help anyone. She and Will made eye contact for a brief moment again, Will confidently nodding that things were fine. She quickly and briefly waved, leaving Will and Trudy alone to entertain the pit of misery in the room. Without delay or emotion, Trudy reached into her bag and pulled out a stack of magazines.

"Your brother can't say I didn't sacrifice for him," she announced as she tapped the celebrity gossip magazines before thumbing the pages.

"I don't picture you as the Hollywood following type."

"Oh, I'm not. It was this or brochures for retirement homes and I'd like to not be reminded of the future." Will smirked before adjusting in his chair, closing his eyes while rubbing his temples. With Jay in qualified hands, the time was ripe for some shut eye. Lord only knows when he'd be able to perform that task again.

…

Hailey stood at the entrance of the bar's parking lot, staring into nothing. The absolute last place she wanted to be was here, at the scene of her worst nightmare to date. She watched as the remaining members of Intelligence strutted under the yellow tape, heading to the epicenter of the night's activities. The cold she felt earlier was nonexistent. She didn't even notice the wind whipping her hair about. All she experienced was this thick, nauseating sickness in her gut. Her feet seemed to forget how to move and she didn't mind that dilemma. There was this imaginary line in front of her and she had no intention of crossing over. Tears slowly dripped down her cheeks and she didn't have the strength or desire to wipe them. It was the sight of his jacket on the ground, covered in blood that made her double over with grief. Her legs and arms were uncontrollably shaking now and wasn't sure if it would ever stop. She dry heaved a couple of times before gathering herself, feeling a gentle hand on her back, causing her to tilt her head upwards.

"Hey, you don't have to go over there if it's too much. No one will hold it against you." Kim helped Hailey back into an upright stance before hugging her, letting Hailey have a moment of silence. She felt a head nod on her shoulder before stepping back.

"I have to do this. I was the only witness to it all." Kim gave her a reassuring smile before walking beside Hailey to the group of detectives and officers at the end of Jay's truck. They all stood in silence for a moment, just taking everything in before diving into the routine.

"I saw the flash from the gun but never saw the shooter. Whoever it was quick and accurate. It was a single round and I was here in seconds. They must've escaped over the fence. The highway isn't too far from here." The lab tech pointed towards the car door, drawing the attention of the others.

"Well, this disproves that theory," he commented as he slowly swung the door open, revealing a brass chamber positioned upward, perfectly aligned with hitting the driver head on. Eyes grew wide as the truth began unravelling in their minds. This wasn't a freak accident nor was it a mugging gone wrong. Things just grew to a whole new level of scary.

"The device has a motion sensor. The lock button on the exterior of the door was likely the trigger that turned the thing on, needing the force of the door opening to set it off. This took practice and skill to master the angle at which to release the round."

"Whoever it is had every intention of injuring Jay, taking him out. Now the question is if this was an attack specific to Jay or a warning to the whole unit."

"Well, whoever it is knew this to be Jay's vehicle and tracked him here, quickly setting everything up. How long were you guys here," Atwater asked?

"Fifteen, twenty minutes. Plenty of time for the psycho to get past the locks and put things into place." Enemies and threats come with the job, they knew that when signing up. But, no one anticipates threatening words to be put into action. It's a worry in the back of one's mind, but never something you never bring to the forefront of one's every movement. Hailey shook her head, still not believing the night they all were living through.

"Any prints or fibers?" The tech shook his head.

"Nothing. This was professionally executed with great planning and perfect precision. Other than the cartridge, we've got nothing." Voight turned around and stormed off, the rest following his trail moments later. Hailey sped walked off the property, making a mental note to never step foot on this piece of the world ever again. The drive from the scene to the precinct was silent and tense. No one wanted to verbalize what they all knew: nothing about this case wasn't going to be personal. No one was going home tonight or ever in the foreseeable future.

…

They entered the precinct in a large, silent mass. Officers and the desk sergeant gave them all the 'well?!' expression and they could only shake their heads. It wasn't till they all grabbed a crappy cup of coffee that Voight spoke to the somber group, specifically Hailey.

"Hailey, my office," he half ordered as he strolled in and relaxed in his chair. She hesitated for a moment, looking around the room for guidance. Adam jerked his head towards the office door and nodded. With a begrudgingly demeanor, she rose from behind her desk and stood in Voight's doorway.

"Close the door and have a seat." She obeyed the commands and stared at him, a puzzled look on her face.

"How are you doing," he asked? Her body relaxed a little.

"I'll be fine when we catch the bastard." Voight leaned his chair back and smirked a little.

"Look, I get where your head is right now. Sadly, this isn't my first rodeo in these highly emotional situations. But I need to know you can work the case without compromising it. In order to get justice for Jay, we need to make sure everything is solid. Can you do that?" She didn't wait to respond.

"My head is on straight, sergeant. This was an attack on my partner and I have every intention of seeing this to the end." The two of them locked into a stare down for a moment, his eyes scanning for a weak spot. She didn't budge.

"Ok." Antonio rapped his knuckles on the glass part of the door before turning the knob.

"We got something." Voight nodded to Hailey and the two rose from their seats, time to put words into action.

They all convened behind Adam's desk, staring at a paused, blurry video.

"The bar just sent all their footage and fortunately, it has a full view of the parking lot. Unfortunately, the quality isn't that great so facial rec won't be happening." He hesitated his finger over the spacebar before pressing it down, allowing the final minutes of normalcy to play out. The time code showed Jay pulling into the spot and six thirty-seven and sitting there till Hailey pulled in five minutes later. They saw Jay get out of the car and meet Hailey at the midpoint between their spots before turning around and guided her to the bar's entrance. Hailey slowly exhaled through her mouth. It was weird watching oneself on camera, especially from mere hours ago. They had no idea of the coming of events. Had one told them what all was going to transpire and they probably would've laughed. Their safety level was comfortable right then, not knowing how fast things would drastically shift. Hailey felt eyes staring at her, looking for a crack but she didn't give it to them. Adam sped the tape up till after the two of them walked into the bar, pausing before the next scene.

"Watch the parking spot two places to the left of the truck," Adam quietly commented. A blacked out SUV pulled in moments later, a normal looking person emerging from the driver's side. They figure was in dark clothing and appeared to be wearing a mask and hat, shielding himself from being recognized. They walked to the end of their vehicle and checked the area for clearance. Satisfied, they cooly ventured to the truck and easily unlocked the truck's doors. It took him two, three minutes to set up the firing device before quickly returning to his vehicle. And then everything was still, raising Hailey's uneasiness.

"Why did you pause it?!"

"I didn't." Hailey rubbed her forehead before taking a couple of steps back. She never felt more stupid and narrow minded in her life. Why didn't she really scan the lot, noticing the suspicious car and the person residing in it. He sat there the whole time watching his evil plan play out, probably smiling as Jay lay there bleeding out. If she could, she'd punch herself in the face. It was when the video showed the two of them returning to their vehicles that Hailey grew fascinated with the floor under her. She saw it all live and had no intention of ever repeating that scene again. The small gasps from the group told her they reached the moment of the shot. It was Kim who finally got them to end the video.

"Turn it off, we don't see this. We all know what happened."

"Wait," Adam replied. He wound the clip several minutes ahead, bypassing the arrival and departure of the ambulance and before the crime lab pulled up. The perp slowly opened a car door and walked off, leaping over the fence surrounding the perimeter before going out of the camera's view.

"Start getting pod footage from intersections and business around the area. This guy slipped up somewhere and we're going to find it," Voight commanded. They all were motionless before nodding, soon busying themselves at their desks.

…

Somehow, Will awoke feeling more tired than when he fell asleep. His neck had reached a new level of stiff and he slowly massaged it, hoping to coax it into turning for him. He sat up at about sloth speed, moaning as he did so. From the amount of magazines scattered at the feet of Platt, he figured he must've been out a couple of hours. He yawned a few of times before noticing her smirking at him.

"Thank the Lord that's over. Has anyone mentioned to you that you have an odd snore?" His face went red as he smiled, appreciative of her attempt to humor him.

"What's the latest in Hollywood?" Trudy rolled her eyes.

"The dating shuffle game is going full speed ahead. People are having babies, affairs, and getting divorced. The usual. I can't believe people actually live for this stuff." She returned the magazines to her bag and sat up a little, still looking as awake and alert as she was when she first got to the hospital.

"How are you not tired," Will inquired?

"Have you ever been on an all night stakeout? We're nowhere near my limit." It was at this point that the waiting room door opened, revealing a drained looking surgeon. It was only Will and Trudy in the waiting room so they quickly stood up, readying themselves for whatever.

"It was tough for a bit, but he pulled through." Trudy sighed before smiling while Will just proceeded to fall back into his chair. The surgeon took a seat between the two of them before proceeding.

"The bullet did come into contact with his facial artery but luckily, it became a plug almost. Had it not rested where it did, he'd have bled out in minutes. Once we dislodged it, he did lose a good amount of blood but we repaired the damage and he'll be ok. We did have to break his jaw in two places in order to reach the bullet so his jaw is currently wired shut and will be that way for six weeks." Will looked over at Platt who's happy countenance turned neutral. Will looked back at the doctor.

"What about the cheekbone and eye socket?" The surgeon shifted in their seat before speaking.

"The bullet entered through his cheekbone and broke two teeth before hitting off the left eye socket before resting in his lower jaw. As a result, the cheekbone was shattered beyond repair. We inserted a plate and screws and those are permanent. The floor of the eye socket was no longer able to support the eye so we put in a plastic graft. That is also permanent. One of the damage teeth was completely removed from its' root and the other was half removed. We cleaned the area and put in two veneers. Over time, they'll feel totally normal to him." The surgeon pulled out a series of x-rays and held them up for the group to see, revealing the extensive facial reconstruction Jay just endured. Trudy just stared at them perplexed.

"I don't have a medical degree so can someone walk me through this?" Will and the surgeon tag teamed the task.

"As you can see, the right side of his face is completely unharmed. It's amazing considering the damage on the left side, not even his nose is broken. But then we move over to the left side, that's when things get interesting." Will pointed to the bright rectangular shaped section on the left side of the x-ray.

"This is the metal plate and screws now consisting of his cheekbone. The little white strip around the eye socket is the plastic graft. And then the stuff that looks like braces on the teeth is the jaw wiring." Trudy just nodded, a look of sickness growing on her face. There wasn't much on Jay's left side that wasn't artificial.

"What does this all mean?!"

"He's going to be really sore and swollen for a few weeks. He also really can't talk with the wiring in place. And eating is going to be non-existent. He's limited to a liquid diet for six weeks and he'll definitely lose a lot of weight. He's currently on a feeding tube in his stomach to help bulk up the caloric intake while he's here, but he'll likely lose twenty to thirty pounds in six weeks."

"What are his odds," Will asked?

"He got really lucky. Any other angle or delay in treatment and we're looking at brain or spinal damage. He's been through a traumatic event, but his outlook is optimistic. It's going to take some adjusting and assistance for a bit, but I'm confident he'll make a full recovery. He's coming off the anesthesia now and he should wake up in a couple of hours. Just a heads up, he's going to be nauseous and probably throw up a couple of times. He swallowed a lot of blood and the teeth. They've gotta come up at some point so he's going to need help. Without being able to open is mouth, he's gotta be told to just lean over and let it come out." Will nodded as he shifted in his chair, feeling the upset stomach feeling in his own gut. While being elated that Jay would pull through, he wasn't sure if he was ready to see the horror of the evening. The amount of work done indicated that his brother was going to look and be different for a bit. But as the surgeon told them, he made it through. Recovering isn't always easy but at least he gets the opportunity to do so. Will reminded himself that his was the worst part of everything. Things were only going to get better from here.

"When can we see him?"

"He should be leaving recovery in a moment so I can bring you up to the ICU now." The group of three stood simultaneously and headed for the door. Trudy paused at the elevators as Will and the surgeon loaded on.

"He's in the ICU, right?" They both nodded.

"I'm going to update everyone and I'll be up in a moment." Will was appreciative of her willingness to take on the communicator role. He didn't have the energy tonight and was grateful for the allowance to solely focus on Jay. Will yawned a couple of times on the elevator ride, getting a smirk from the surgeon. Will wasn't sure what the time of day was but assumed it was in the wee hours of the morning. The soft ding of the elevator's arrival at the ICU floor sounded and the surgeon ushered Will out first. He guided Will to a room at the far left end of the hall and stopped before sliding the glass door open.

"Ready?" Will simply nodded, preparing himself for the view on the other side. The first thing that came into Will's mind was that Jay looked like Harvey Dent after the explosion in _The Dark Knight._ One side of Jay's face was completely normal while the other side told a very different tale. His brother was almost sitting up in bed and his face was titled towards the right. Will knew it was to help with the growing swelling and soreness of the injuries, but there was something different. Maybe it was the numerous steri-strips on that side of his face or the large bruises or nasal breathing tube still in place, but Jay looked off, gone almost. The person in front of him wasn't the same person who was brought into the ED fighting. Will figured it was the knowledge of knowing everything that was playing with his mind. Obviously, things would return to normal in time. He scooted the reclining chair close to Jay's right side and sat, holding a hand as he took everything in. Will breathed out loud a few times before feeling the tears stream down. The reality of the last few hours finally hit him. People don't survive things like this nor do they come away relatively unscathed. He let himself wallow in sorrow for a moment longer before collecting himself. Jay was going to be out of it all for some time and it was up to him to keep things tracking upward. Will took everything done to his brother's face and the things keeping him alive at the moment. It was unsettling, but they all played a role in Jay's latest story. He lightened his train of thought by reminding himself of how fun it was going to be to communicate with a mute Jay for six weeks. Then Will looked up at the clock and read four twenty-six in the morning, realizing that Jay was under the knife for over seven hours.

"Good job, Jay. I'm here when you're ready. Just rest." Will slumped into a semi-comfortable position on the chair and was quickly sound asleep. Trudy Platt stood in the doorway at this point and took the scene in. She thoroughly observed her injured detective before looking over to a passed out Will, quietly laughing at it all. It was the picture of brotherly love and she couldn't help but take and photo and share it with the world. In that moment, any fear or anxiety dissipated. Things weren't good now, but they'd get there at some point.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- Welcome to Recovery

Everyone has a list of things they don't want to awaken to and vomiting is almost a given to be at the top of said list. Give anyone the sound of thunder, a chainsaw, or crying over the gut wrenching sound of digested contents coming back up the path they descended. Unfortunately for Will, that's exactly what he awoke to. His once quiet, happily dreaming self was stirred by dry heaving and someone coaxing another person. His eyes went from snapped shut to wide awake. The body took a few seconds to kick into motion, but soon he was standing on the right side of Jay's bed, watching his brother's first moments of consciousness include puke and moaning. Trudy was already doing the task of comforting and communicating and glanced over at Will while she spoke.

"Just let it all out. I know it's gross, but think of the alternative. You're fine, just let the body do its' thing." Jay was doubled over hovering above a pink bucket, eyes wide with horror and disgust. The rest of him appeared to still be under the firm control of whatever powerful drugs he was on. His movements were sluggish and slightly uncoordinated. His twitches and facial expressions were numb and void of personality thanks to the narcotics, antibiotics, and whatever else he was on. When the episode finally ceased, he slowly looked up, scanning the room in an effort to piece the last hours together. He remembered laying on the parking lot ground but wasn't sure how he got from that moment to this one, and was also curious as to why everything on one side of his face was stiff, painful, and felt to be many times larger than normal. He didn't protest when Will and Trudy helped clean his face and body off from the puking incident nor did he really hear them asking him questions. All he knew was that he and everything around him was floating and he felt to be an immobile version of himself. What a fun set of circumstances to wake up to.

"Jay, can you hear me?!" Will got zoned out blinks, noticing the left eye's red, somewhat swollen appearance.

"Hey, Jay I know you don't feel well but give us something." They gave it a couple more seconds before jostling his shoulder, which made him jump and look towards his right.

"He's really drugged up," Trudy commented. Will smirked before moving on. Jay was in the process of reaching up to touch his face when Will gently pulled the hands down, finally getting Jay to make direct eye contact with him.

"You can't do that, Jay. You just had a really long surgery to repair stuff up there and you can't touch it. Also, you can't talk right now because you have a broken jaw and its' wired shut. You can use this whiteboard and marker to talk, ok?! It'll be weird for awhile, but you'll get the hang of it." Jay just nodded in a daze, clearly not grasping what was being told to him. This wasn't going to the only time Will told him to not do something. The nurse had arrived by now and began the process of evaluating the nerve damage and reflexes. She used a needle to test leg and arm movements with everything appearing as normal. She then waved her finger in Jay's face and things were relatively ok, aside from the slower movement from his left eye. She informed Will and Trudy that was normal at this point of the recovery. The eye received a lot of trauma and was quite bruised and swollen. Over the next couple of weeks, things would improve as the bruising and swelling went down. Jay's vision was also blurry on the left side but would correct itself over time. Then she moved to touching the damaged side of his face, which is where things got interesting. The right side had full sensation yet the left had nothing. She used a needle to poke various parts on the left side of the face and got nothing. However, the muscular movements were intact, a very promising sign that things weren't permanently damaged. It was a weird sight. Even in his drugged stupor, Jay got uneasy about that. You could see the tears forming but he fought them off, realizing it was silly to fret over something that could've easily killed him. She informed the group that the numbness was purely from the trauma of the shooting and the repairing of the facial bones. Nerves were bound to be injured and needed time to reconnect with their synapses. While there isn't a set time at when those sensations return, they would at some point. The report seemed to relieve Jay's worry because he was soon laying back against the pillows and fighting sleep. He was awarded another round of pain meds and Zoloft to help combat the nausea. Will waited till Jay fell back to sleep before speaking with Trudy.

"When did he wake up," Will quietly spoke? She watched Jay twitch his right eyebrow before responding.

"It was a two, three minutes before you got up. I came back from the cafeteria and found him awake and in the middle of pulling the tube out of his nose. I told him to stop but it was like he didn't hear me. As soon as he pulled it free, he began gagging and I threw the bucket under him. You know the rest." Will smirked, elated to hear the essence of Jay was alive and kicking in the broken body next to him. Trudy picked up a pair of wires cutters and held them for Will to see.

"The nurse came in when you were asleep and left these. What are they for?"

"They're wires cutters in case of an emergency that needs him to open his mouth. He has to keep them with him at all times." Trudy nodded as she replaced them on their spot on the food tray. They were both silent for awhile, each sitting next to a side of Jay's bed, listening to the soft sounds of him inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. He'd occasionally move a leg or arm and they'd ready themselves for the next event, breathing a sigh of relief when nothing happened. Will noticed the hue of the light outside the window was a shade or two lighter than pitch black, silently celebrating that Jay had made it through the night alive.

"Hey, the sun is coming up. He made.." Will trailed off as he glanced over at Platt passed out in her chair, mouth wide open. Her wall had finally come up and he was glad to see she was human after all. Will found a blanket in the closet and carefully draped it over her before slowly slinking back to his own makeshift bed. As he dozed off, he found himself smiling for the first time in awhile. This quiet, tiny moment was one he'd forever cherish. It was a snapshot of friendship, love, support, and perseverance and how light will always find a way through the darkness.

…

It was late at night when the team reunited with their fallen teammate. Will had texted them early in the morning regarding his consciousness and the bouts of nausea he was experiencing. They all wanted to see him, but figured he wasn't up for that at the time. What Will left out were the details behind the long morning and afternoon. The sun totally rising was not witnessed by the patient and caregivers in that ICU room because they were too consumed with the growing fear that Jay would eventually vomit his whole stomach up. It appeared he swallowed every pint of blood in his system because the first three times, that's all came up. The episodes would occur every hour to sporadically over several minutes. There was a time in the early afternoon that the missing tooth finally made its' return to the world and made Jay choke, creating an emergency reason to cut the wiring on his jaw, giving him the airway to cough up the choking hazard. He was told he could open his mouth halfway but not speak. Obviously, he didn't follow those instructions. As the nurse carried away the latest collection of contents, Jay used the time to say hello to Trudy and Will, ask where everyone else was, and how soon before he could leave. It took a few sentences for him to discover why he was instructed to not talk. The act of moving the stiff, sensitive, precious bones in his face made for some of the worst pain he'd ever experienced. Perhaps it was the drugs or the draining day, but he cried, like tears pouring down his face, as he listened to his viewing party speak, earning him stronger dosages of pain meds and a brief anesthetic so that everything could be put back into place. When he awoke, Will was smirking at him, commenting on how Jay was the picture of health and happiness. Jay responded with a groan before shifting in bed and relaxing into a deep sleep. It was around five thirty when clear liquids finally came up, a huge victory for Jay. Now with the damaging fluids out of the digestive tract, the super strong, out-of-body experience, calming drug called phenergan was put to good use, finally giving Jay some much needed relief and rest. Granted, he was in a new league of loopy and dazed, but at least his stomach could retain whatever was left in it.

It was as Jay drifted off to sleep that Will texted the team, giving them the go ahead to stop by for a quick visit. He knew Jay wouldn't go much longer without wanting to see them and plus, they certainly had questions pertaining to the case. Jay was beginning to surface around nine at night so Trudy volunteered to gather the group while Will helped Jay wake up. Will's phone lit up with messages as Jay was dreamily looking around the room.

"Hey, they're downstairs at the ED entrance," Will quietly announced. Trudy didn't hesitate to spring up from her chair.

"How long do you need?" Will looked over at an exhausted Jay.

"Um, like fifteen, twenty minutes. He needs to gargle with the saline solution and he'll probably want to get up." A nod from the loopy patient confirmed Will's assumption, making them both smirk. Trudy slid the glass door closed as Jay slowly pulled the sheets away, alerting Will that he was ready to move. Will helped Jay into a sitting position before disconnecting IVs and monitor leads. Jay paused on the tube snaking out from his midsection and pointed, giving Will a puzzled look.

"It's a feeding tube. Don't pull on it. It's just to help bulk you up with calories before you leave and can't really eat." Satisfied with the explanation, Jay nodded before scooting his feet onto the floor. Communication between Jay and the world became a grand game of charades. You were winning if you got his messages via facial expressions or grunts and moans. Hand movements were awarded a small amount of frustration with the whiteboard and marker used for last resorts, which made both parties upset with each other. It took a couple of rounds of reaching the board and marker, but Will and Jay were soon on the same page, making conversations one-sided but seamless works of art. Trudy was still catching up. Advantage, sibling bonds. As his socked feet touched the ground for the first time in over twenty-four hours, Jay felt his legs go weak for a brief moment, Will right there to steady him.

"Whoa, hold on. Take it easy. You've been through a lot in a short amount of time." Jay rolled his eyes as his legs remembered their strength. It was a slow, step-by-step shuffle towards the bathroom, but they made it without any incident. When Will opened the door, Jay's face immediately went to the floor, Will picking up on Jay's desire to not make eye contact with the mirror.

"It's ok. Whenever you're ready." Jay nodded before sitting on the makeshift chair in the shower, allowing Will to help him change from one hospital attire to another. He kept pointing to his face during the changing task and Will was very much lost.

"What?! Does it hurt?" Jay shook his head, pointing in the direction of the hospital room door before turning the finger back towards his face.

"Oh my word, I'm so lost." He went to get the white board and thrusted it into Jay's hands, receiving an 'I don't want to freak them out,' message back.

"What? Don't worry about it. They already know what happened and it's fine." Jay was emotionless as Will brushed his hair and carefully rubbed a damp washcloth over the untouched side of his face. Then came the saline solution gargling.

"Ok, you have incisions on the left side of your cheek up and down against the gums and you have to keep them clean. This is a syringe of warm salt water and you have to hold it in your mouth for a couple of seconds. I know it tastes gross and it'll probably sting a little, but it's this or an infection." Jay sighed before allowing Will to put the syringe of solution into his mouth. Stinging was such an understatement, but Jay didn't show his great dislike for the whole thing. Thirty seconds later, he was leaning over the toilet letting the nasty liquid spill out of his mouth. Jay had just returned to bed when the horde of smiling people were standing on the other side of the glass door. Let the reunion commence.

On the way up, Trudy filled everyone in on the do's and dont's with Jay. She instructed to keep questions to yes or no answers or short things he could write down. She also reminded them that Jay would probably hate to be viewed or treated differently and to just act as normal as possible. Obviously, the last time he saw everyone was before the shooting took place, but he was still the same person, just a little loopy. She went into detail about the steri-strips under and to the immediate outside of his left eye protecting the incision sites of the cheekbone repair. She also told them about the large gauze pad hiding the point of impact with the bullet. The redness, swelling, and bruising were all laid out to forewarn them that things were temporarily making him seem and act different. And now, as they filed into the room and got their first in-person glimpse of him, they were appreciative of her thorough details. He looked so different, changed from the mere twenty-four hours they were apart. The person in the bed was almost impersonating, not embodying the Jay Halstead they knew. This person was super calm and hazed over, the drugs doing a number on his demeanor and movements. For a split second, they all froze, not knowing what to say or do next. Jay was holding a gel ice pack to his face as they entered and made he eye contact with each person before making the first move. It became apparent he was the one that had to put his visitors at ease.

"Is there something on my face," he wrote on the whiteboard, earning some half laughs and smirks. Their whole bodies instantly relaxed and everyone fell into their normal thing. Any fear or uneasiness instantly disappeared. It really was the same old Jay under everything.

"You look good, Jay. How are you feeling? How's the pain?" Jay shook his hand while scrunching up his face.

"So, are you up for a couple of questions?" Jay nodded before putting the gel pack down, pointing to the case file in Hailey's hand. She glanced down at its' contents before handing it off to Jay. He combed through the picture and reports slowly, exhaling with each page turn.

"Did you see the cartridge when you opened the door?" Jay paused for a moment before shaking his head, grabbing the whiteboard and marker and began scribbling.

"Any leads," he inquired?

"Not yet. We've gone through your records and looked into known people who have made threats and all are either in jail or dead or out of reach from doing something like this. Whoever it is is really skilled and wanted to make it personal, and terrifying as well," Voight replied. Jay nodded before holding up the freeze frame of the perp leaping over the bar's fence.

"We haven't found any footage other than what the bar gave us. The guy vanished after that point," Hailey filled in. They were all silent for a moment, Jay using the time to begin dozing off.

"Do you have any idea who might've had the means and motive to do something like this," Adam inquired. Jay snapped his head back into reality, looking aimlessly at something before shaking his head. Honestly, with all the drugs in his system, it was likely he couldn't recall getting out of bed a few minutes ago. It was at this time that the nurse came in and alerted everyone that visitation was over for the day. They waved their goodbyes as Jay's eyelids quickly drooped closed. He might've gotten a quick wave in before completely passing out for awhile. It was after the group left that Trudy began to gather her things.

"I'll come back later but I need to relieve the desk sergeant currently on duty for a bit. Let me know if anything changes." Will nodded as he got up to let her out, the two of them stood at the doorway, watching Jay deeply sleep.

"Thanks for everything, Trudy. We both really appreciate it." She simply nodded before heading for the elevator. Will flung himself on the reclining chair and pulled a blanket over himself, falling asleep to the soothing sounds of Jay's mouth snores.

…

"You two, hold up a second." Kim and Hailey nearly jumped out of their skin before turning around and facing Platt.

"How did you get…"

"I'm omnipresent. I need you two to go over to Jay's place and pack a bag for him. Will gave me the key, try and not snoop around the place." While they originally had plans to track down a lead, they knew their intentions were second to Platt's requests/demands. They figured Voight was already alerted of the assignment change and willingly took the apartment key.

"Anything specific we should bring? When is he being discharged?"

"Docs said it'll be another couple of days so plan for at least that long. Maybe a hat and sunglasses for when he leaves and comfortable clothing but then again, I'm not a member of Intelligence. Figure it out." She always had a way of pressing right to the max of one's patience before adding a twinge of sarcasm to her points. The two of them simply nodded before heading out with their new assignment, both boggled by the brashness of Trudy Platt.

It was a quiet ride from the district to the apartment. The two of them didn't speak much along the way. It was strange going to someone's place knowing they weren't there. It had a similar feeling of going undercover. It almost felt like they were breaking in but had gotten the go-ahead to do so. It wasn't the first time either of them had visited Jay's place, but given the current circumstance, it felt awkward pulling up outside and walking into the building. They had pressed the elevator button when the landlord recognized them and flagged them down, asking where Jay was and if he was ok. They gave a brief, lacking in great detail, story of what happened over a day ago and were rewarded with a puzzled expression.

"That's awful, but also odd."

"What do you mean," Kim questioned?

"A guy came in early this morning and asked me to unlock Jay's place. He said Jay knew he was coming and forgot to give him a key and told me to let him in. I told him I never got anything from Jay and he assured me that his story was true. He was convincing and so I let him in and he left half an hour later." Hailey's eyes got wide before getting on the phone with Voight.

"Was this common for Jay to allow people in when he wasn't here?"

"He's done it a couple of times, but not recently." Hailey hung the phone up before returning to the conversation.

"They're on their way over. Can you describe this person?"

"Um, white, average height, athletic build, screamed military. Keep calling me sir and was very composed, robotic almost. What's going on?"

"Just covering our bases. Thank you for your help." Another tenant was standing at the desk by now, asking for assistance. They promised to keep the landlord updated before heading up the stairs to Jay's place. As the entered the floor, everything shifted. Their senses heightened and their movements became slow, methodical. It was that sixth sense kicking in, telling them something wasn't right. The hallway was clear and the whole place was silent. Hailey slipped the key in the lock and was about to turn it when Kim grabbed her hand.

"Wait, something's wrong." The both stood still for a moment, straining to hear, see, just find something. It was when they pressed their ear to the door that their suspicions proved correct. It was faint. It was consistent. It was something counting down to zero.

"Don't key your radio. Don't make a phone call." In an instant, Hailey and Kim found themselves back in that worst case scenario situation.

 **We love a good cliff hanger. Did anyone pick up on the clue pertaining to the mystery attacker? Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4- But…

"Good morning, ladies." Kim and Hailey nodded before looking around the corner towards Jay's apartment door. The time between calling in the bomb threat and the unit arriving, Kim and Hailey took on the pleasant task of waking up neighbors and politely asking them to evacuate their residences. Obviously, they received terrified responses, especially at such an early hour in the morning, but eventually, it was just Intelligence guarding the building. What surprised the two women the most was that the ticking thing on the other side of the door hadn't gone off. One would think it have initiated on radio frequency chatter or timer expiration. But even now, an hour after they discovered it, nothing had changed. Just the soft but terrifying sounds of ticking.

"What've we got," Dwyer inquired?

"Just something that sounds like a bomb countdown. We pressed ears to the door and discovered it. The apartment key is in the lock on the chance that's what'll make it go off." Sergeant Dwyer nodded before gearing up and approaching the door. He ever so gently placed a device on the door to scan the contents on the other side. The device beeped after a few seconds, confirming their scary assumption.

"Definitely some type of device and I'd say it's got a motion sensor on it. Everyone stay back. Is there another way into the apartment?"

"There's a fire escape around the back." The bomb tech cautiously stepped away before heading for the freezing outdoors. In reality, the whole process took five minutes, but for those crouched down, hiding the hallway, it might as well been a lifetime. They all didn't speak, but were thinking in unison. The latest development proved more and more that this event had nothing to do with Intelligence but instead, was intended on ending Jay's life. Hailey's mind wandered a million miles in minutes, trying to figure out where they overlooked things or ignored altogether. While the team was still piecing together the who and why, this guy was cruising right along, his destructive plan moving ahead without any obstacles. She realized that Jay's past was about as mysterious as its' owner and they all really didn't know too much about him. Especially his military service, she mentally concluded the list of what she did knew about that time was far shorter than what she didn't know. War is an intense, highly emotional being that is sure to push it's players to the absolute limit. For some, they can handle that challenge. Others, it is the reason they are different when they come home. Then she wondered why this person even set up the bomb in the first place. He saw Jay get hit and still decided to show up at Jay's place and set up the device. Perhaps the shooting was just the first step. Maybe Jay coming home afterwards was the ultimate endgame: give a brush with death only to kill him in his own home. Or maybe it was designed to harm her or whoever came to check up on things while Jay was away: inflict harm on people Jay cared for while he was unable to help them. Hailey shook her head at that one. Whatever the motive, this person was out for something and she could only hope they'd figure it out before it was too late and the worst case became reality.

"Hey, you ok," Kim asked, Hailey's head snapping back into reality.

"Yeah, just anxious that's all." Kim gave her a quick smile before Hailey rose and began pacing. She made about five laps up and down the hall when Dwyer broke the radio silence.

"All clear guys. Front door is unlocked." They sprung to their feet and were at the doorway in seconds. Dwyer laughed at them as they peered their heads through the doorway, no one wanting to make that first step over the threshold.

"It's all clear guys. C'mon. You're going to want to see this." He ushered them to the countertop in the kitchen and waited till they all had a look at the device. It was a large, grey brick encased in wiring and tubing. The digital read on the front read all zeros. It was a surreal sight to behold as they all stood in Jay's kitchen

"Military grade C4 with a motion sensor on it. You guys were right to suspect the lock being the initiator, but it's very similar to the truck door device in that it needed a certain angle and movement for it to go off."

"So the ticking…" Adam interrupted.

"Just a scare tactic. There wasn't a timer on this at all. The digital display was just for decoration. It wasn't connected to the bomb nor was it ever going to play a role in it going off."

"Get forensics to check it out. I want a full workup on that," Voight demanded before they all split in various directions, each looking for clues or hints regarding the attacker. Hailey went into pilot mode, focusing only on getting stuff for Jay. She knew that if she looked around for too long, things were going to get emotional and personal. Jay didn't need her being a grieving friend. He needed someone who could find whoever was terrorizing his life. She was the first to leave the apartment and stood out in the hall till everyone joined her.

"Do we have to tell him," Hailey asked? She got weird looks before they answered.

"Yeah, it's his place and he'd want to know."

"But why let him know, there isn't a whole lot he can do now."

"It's his place and he has a right to know." Voight settled that by locking the place back up and heading for the exit, the rest soon following behind. They all silently left and returned to their vehicles. Adam offered to give Hailey a ride to the hospital and she was too tired and drained to protest. The ride back was relatively silent. Adam would try and bring up funny things in order to calm and comfort her. She'd play along for a bit, but always return to silence and staring out the window. It was when they pulled up to the curb that they got down to the heart of everything.

"So, I've been meaning to ask…"

"Don't! Don't you dare. Nothing happened." It took everything in Hailey to not reached over and slap Adam, hard. He waited till her glare left him before continuing.

"It's ok if you want to end…this. I get it. I've been there before." She slowly turned back to face Adam, not sure how to respond.

"This was all for fun, remember? It was a fling that became a long term thing. But, it's pretty obvious you both have feelings for each other and who am I to hold you back." Hailey just kept staring, not sure if this was a dream or exhaustion induced fantasy. Lacking in words, she simply nodded before looking up towards the hospital housing her injured partner. It was a rather awkward moment between them, but one that Hailey was secretly glad happened. Life has a funny way of playing things out in one's favor. Sure, the circumstances may not always be how you wanted them. But in the end, she was given her green light and she couldn't be more happier and relieved. She reached down to collect the overnight bag before placing a hand on the handle. She paused for a moment to make eye contact with Adam before speaking.

"I'm sorry," was all she could get out. He returned with an understanding head nod.

"Don't be. Go update him and I'll see you in the morning." He waited till she got out of the car and stood on the sidewalk before driving away, getting one of those 'last looks' as she grew smaller in the rearview mirror.

…

Time finally caught up with her as she rode the elevator for the ICU floor. She glanced down at her phone to read one thirty-seven AM. She rubbed her eyes, realizing she'd been awake and functioning for almost two days. Had she'd realized all that would transpire when she last fell asleep, she probably would've caught a few more Zs before getting up. The elevator doors silently opened and Hailey tip toed out, doing her best to not alert the residents on the floor of her presence. She stood at Jay's door and stared for a second, half asleep and half coming up with a reason for her being there. Both brothers were sound asleep by now, Will curled up in a ball on the recliner while Jay was in bed resting on his right side. With him positioned that way, Hailey got a good view of the aftermath of the shooting and lengthy surgery. It was twenty-four hours post-op and the parts of his face that weren't hidden under dressings wore varying shades of blue and black. Furthermore, his cheek and lower jaw were red and inflamed, displaying the swelling from the extensively worked on areas of Jay's face. Hailey closed her eyes, reminding herself that he was still there under everything. The current situation they all found themselves in was temporary, the person and soul they all knew was permanent and existing; no need to fret or worry over things that'll only get better. She looked down at the bag in her hand as she quietly rapped on the glass door, hoping to awake Will but keep Jay asleep. The first round got nothing, the second attempt stirred Jay enough for him to roll back onto his back and gaze aimlessly around. Will detected the sounds of a moving body and slowly sat up, looking over towards the door to Hailey holding up a bag.

"Go back to sleep, Jay. It's just Hailey." Jay was too drugged up to do more than nod his head. He was snoring by the time Will slid the door open.

"Hey, thanks for this," Will whispered as he ushered her into the room. She fixed her eyes on Jay for a couple of moments before acknowledging Will's comment.

"Yeah, Platt said he might need this." Will smirked at her daydreaming.

"He's doing well so far. Other than the pain and sensitivity, things are looking good. The swelling and bruising will go down in a week or so. From there it's about bones healing in their correct places. He should be released in a couple of days." Hailey kept staring while he spoke, using the words to calm the growing anxiety in her head.

"That was the scariest thing I've ever gone through." Will looked over at her, nodding as she spoke.

"In this line of work, you see the cruelest, inhumane things humans can do to each other. You're on the scene of the worst day on someone's life and sometimes you have to be the one to deliver news that changes people's lives forever. But to see something like that happen to someone you know and work alongside with is…I don't know; like a whole new level of awful. I guess. I just…I'm ready for the sounds and images to leave my head." Will patted her shoulder, snapping her back into real time.

"You want to stay here tonight? Platt isn't coming back tonight and I'm sure he would like the company." Hailey nodded, Will taking the bag out of her hands as she collapsed onto the chair on Jay's left side. Will dimmed the lights in the room before returning to the most uncomfortable sleeping position. Hailey rolled onto her side and gazed at the sound asleep body in the bed, each breath alleviating her dread. The previous night was the worst one of her life. Now staring at Jay on the other side of it all, Hailey concluded this was the 'but' of the story. He may have fallen _but_ , there was no way he wasn't going to overcome this. She found herself smiling as her need for sleep finally won.

…

The trio's restful nights sleep was cut short by Hailey's phone ringing on the table a few hours later. Jay was the first to stir, looking around the room before finding a blonde head draped over the arm of a chair. His drug-incapacitated self didn't recall her coming in during the night and was a little startled by her unknown presence. It's not that he didn't want her there, but he wasn't ready for her to see him in that state. Of course, it was the drugs messing with his mind and soon he was up and pulling IVs and leads off in an effort to free himself from the bed. Will rolled over in his sleep and muttered something as Jay ever so gently pressed his feet to the floor. He wobbled and shuffled his way to the light illuminating on Hailey's side of the room and reached for the phone. He read three missed calls from Kim before the phone rang for the fourth time. With the inability to talk, Jay placed the phone on the arm of the chair and carefully shook Hailey's arm, receiving a jolted awakening for his efforts. They both stared at each other with surprised faces before Jay pointed to the phone, returning to rest on the edge of the bed as she answered.

"Yeah," Hailey whispered before yawning.

"Sorry, I figured you were sleeping, but we may have identified the attacker. It's looking like it's someone from Jay's military past and were tracking down his LKA. Voight wants you to stay with Jay till we all get there to update you guys. How's he doing?" Hailey glanced over to a floating, exhausted Jay before answering.

"He's good, still pretty out of it, but looking good considering. He actually handed me the phone."

"That's great! Tell him I'm sorry I woke him up and we're all thinking of him."

"Will do. Thanks, Kim." Hailey remembered to put her phone on silent before helping Jay back into bed. It was a total guessing game figuring out how to reconnect everything, but eventually Jay was situation in his normal spot. The whole time, his face was red with embarrassment. This wasn't how a partnership was supposed to go, but yet, here they found themselves. He was supposed to be the protective, tough one and somehow their roles reversed within a few hours. He didn't like that people were seeing him as weak or vulnerable. Hailey picked up on this fairly quickly, trying her best to act like tucking in your macho, well orchestrated partner was totally cool.

"If the roles were reversed, you'd be doing the exact same thing," she commented as she turned back for the chair. Jay nodded after a moment, giving her one of those 'thank you' expressions. She returned with a 'you're welcome' nod and the two were falling back to sleep, Hailey watching Jay's eyelids slowly droop closed before following suit.

…

His name was Jason Briggs, a former Army Ranger that resided with Jay on the same base but with a different unit. During their six month overlap of tours, Jason was deemed as wild, a highly intense person who had a liking to pushing things right up to the ethical limit. Prior to Jay's interaction with him, Jason had built a repertoire for roughing civilians up and acting on impulse rather than training and common sense. However, the stories were just that: legends talked about round a campfire and bottles of beer. When Jay first met him, he found it hard to believe the person in front of him committed the acts that proceeded him. He was a thin, taunt, quiet kid that was like a sponge; keenly listening to words spoken by commanders and seasoned soldiers. At first, Jay envied the kid, wishing he was as doe-eyed and naive as Jason. However, as the months ticked off, that innocent persona began to unravel. It began with standing up to his peers, questioning their tactics during a fire fight. People chalked it up to processing the loss of fellow soldiers, but Jay always had a feeling this was the first slip-up. From there, he began playing pranks on people at the base. Innocent incidents of hiding people's clothes transpired into recording personal phone calls and blasting them over the base's speakers, revealing highly personal information between people and their loved ones. When Voight phoned Mouse for information on Jason, the initial response was a groan followed by a long pause. Mouse told of a time when Jason would sneak ketamine into rations when no one was looking, laughing as people started getting groggy or throwing up from the massive amounts of the drug in their system. Jay warned their superiors of Jason's behavior, forewarning that he'd snowball into something criminal and got nothing, told to relax and let the kid live a little.

Unfortunately, Jay's gut feeling came to fruition. While I won't go into the details, the event included a mother and her young children and a tragic death. As Mouse retold the terrible day, you could detect the shake in his voice of the horrible crime. Those on the other end of the phone call ranged from tearful to full anger, questioning why things were allowed to get that out of control. The day was the final straw for Jay. Along with the two strikes against Jason, Jay's testimony was the large final nail in the coffin. Jason was swiftly dishonorable discharged and stripped of any benefits and pension from the military. Mouse recalled when they ushered Jason out of the base. He was irate, channeling all his rage towards Jay, threatening to make him pay one day. But as the days, weeks, and years rolled along, Jason's threat was forgotten. While they wouldn't forget him and his actions, he slipped through the cracks of life. Mouse had no idea what happened after his discharge and was certain Jay didn't know anything either. Time became an enemy in a way. It allowed everyone to relax, shrug off the words spoken that day. Obviously, time played in favor of Jason's revenge game plan.

At first, Intelligence didn't believe their luck. The print found on the bomb by the crime lab was pristine and on the center of the display screen. They initially assumed that someone planted the print on the device to steer them away from the true criminal. But after learning of Jason's past and capabilities, it became all but certain this was their guy. Why he left such a blatant clue remained unanswered, but this was the first big break in the case and had to be pursued, even if it fell right into the creep's plan. They were all busying themselves looking for Jason's LKA when Adam hung the phone up, clearing his throat before speaking.

"That was Dr. Charles. I reached out to him hoping he could give us some psychological insight into this guy and he actually found Jason's medical file. After he was discharged, Jason was admitted to a long-term psych hold for the treatment of schizophrenia and ASPD, or antisocial personality disorder. ASPD explains his lack of a moral compass. As the disease progresses, one's ability to detect right from wrong, ethical to unethical blurs into a delusional mindset. The schizophrenia explains why the event that got him kicked out of military. It was a psychotic break that unleashed his inability to properly view life around him. He showed the early signs for these diseases prior to being enlisted but was chalked up to being a teenager that would mellow out over time. Obviously, his time in the service only worsened his condition. He developed a pattern of getting the proper treatment and medication before going off the drugs and relapsing, getting worse with each cycle. He's been in and out of prison for anything from assault to home invasion and theft. He signed himself out of the psych ward at Cook County Hospital two weeks ago AMA and his last known address was a halfway house in Pilsen." They all were silent after Adam's report, everyone glancing over at the empty desk where their friend and teammate would be residing at this point. His desk was a memorial of sorts. The papers, trinkets, and zip-up hoodie sitting on the back of the chair showed a life once existed there. It was crazy to think how quickly and drastically a day and a half could change everything. Thirty-six hours ago, they never would've imagined their next case would encompass him and that he wouldn't be here to help them out. It was in this moment that they all concurred to give Jason their best effort. This guy was making things personal and they were more than willing to return the gesture.

"Hit it," Voight commanded after a time. Everyone sprung to their feet, readying themselves for their enemy's next move. He may have outwitted them for a time, but there was no way he'd outlast them.

…

"What," the unenthusiastic, middle aged woman barked on the other end of the glass wall, a cigarette waving in between two fingers. Antonio pressed his badge against the glass wall and re-explained their presence.

"We're looking for one of your residents, Jason Briggs." Atwater held up a photo of Jason, getting beady eyes as the woman put her glasses on the tip of her nose.

"This was his last know address. When did you see him last?"

"May I remind you people it's early in the morning at a halfway house. This can't wait till later on?" It took everything in Antonio to not let the land lady have it.

"Ma'am, this guy is a suspect in an attack involving a Chicago police officer and we need to know where he is, now. Either you tell us or we can arrest you for obstructioning the investigation." That one made her eyes perk up. She pushed the cigarette butt into her ash tray before glancing at the image a second time.

"Oh yeah, he's been here. But I haven't seen him in a couple of days. Real nice kid, keeps to himself mostly." Atwater rolled his eyes.

"We need to access his room. And yes, we have a warrant." Antonio smacked it against the window, making the land lady jump.

"Alright, alright, hang on a second." She slowly shuffled out from behind the glass wall before shuffling down the hall, griping and huffing the entire way. The whole way, Adam made a 'hurry up' motion with his hands, getting a humorous glare from Kim. Eventually, they all gathered outside the room's door, guns draw just in case.

"A littler overkill," the lady muttered as she unlocked the door and turned the knob. They ignored her remarks as they slowly, yet methodically filed into the apartment. Kim found a light switch and switched it on, wishing she hadn't after viewing what the light revealed.

For starters, you couldn't see the walls, ceiling, or floors. Everything was covered in varying amounts of photos, maps, words, and utter gibberish and drawings. You could tell where Jason was somewhat sane and where the disease was in full gear. Words became a random assembling of letters, some appearing to be in another language. The images he drew varied but all fell under one category: revengeful death. Photos were mostly of Jay with a few of the other members of Intelligence. It appeared the last year of Jay's life was photographed and documented by Jason. Everything from images of him on the job to hand written notes pertaining the Jay's coffee order, there was very little left out. Adam found a shoebox with small items that they assumed belonged to Jay. There were random socks and shoe laces, toothbrush and used tissues. It was spine numbing realizing this guy stalked Jay and somehow found a way into his apartment without him knowing, a terrifying feat. As they all numbly documented the nightmarish discoveries, it was clear Jason's revenge became an obsession, a stalking if you will. They all tried to not think too deeply in an effort to not freak out or puke. This guy was unknowingly following every step of Jay's life and no one, not even Jay, picked up this guy's scent. It was like living in a horror movie.

Kim was the first to leave the place, reasoning that she couldn't stay in 'revenge headquarters' for too long. Adam followed behind her after a few minutes with Antonio and Atwater in tow. They all stood outside, waiting for Voight to lock the place back up. He did a once over of the apartment a final time before departing. He needed to grasp the mindset of this animal and the only way was to study the guy's pattern. He sat on a chair in the kitchen and gazed up at the ceiling, shaking his head at the photos of Jay standing near his bedroom window in just a towel…and some had less than that. This wasn't a person who committed this crime, but a demon. Someone who had entirely lost touch with the world, whose only reason for living was complete and utter destruction. Very out of character, he felt the tears forming, brushing away a stray tear. He didn't completely know what all Jay went through over there, but if this was one piece in the bigger puzzle, he feared for his detective. Were there others like Jason? Were eerie scenes like this common over there? How many other threats on Jay's life were yet to be found? Voight stood after awhile and marched out of the place. He felt the lock click against his hand before storming down the hall and practically throwing the key back at the land lady. He reunited with his worried, uncertain detectives and officers and spoke what they weren't looking forward to next.

"Let's go tell him. He needs to know about…all that." They reluctantly nodded, not eager to share the creepiest news ever.

 **My hope is that Adam has the decency to eventually step aside for Upstead. The writing is on the wall. It's going to happen at some point. I hope you guys enjoyed the tiny Upstead moment in this chapter. It was an appetizer for what's to come. Also, we finally see who the attacker is and we love a good scary twist to things. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5- Hello Fight Or Flight Mode

 **Just a heads up, this chapter is flowing at a specific pace. Some of the scenes overlap with each other. One scene is happening while the another is occurring simultaneously or right behind. The breaks with time changes are little stand alone scenes. Like if you were watching it, the screen would fade to black before the next scene opens up. I wanted to give everyone a heads to avoid any confusion. A LOT goes down in this one. Let's enjoy the ride.**

He was a vision of misery. The rising of the sun that morning meant it was day three post-op, a day very commonly known as the worst hurdle in the entire recovery. For any operation, once you make it past day three, things would only get better from there on out. As they filed into the ICU room, armed with breakfast and news that paired perfectly with its' recipient, they couldn't help but notice how dejected and painful he looked. Differing from the last time they saw him, Jay had ditched the hospital gown for his own clothing. With the change, he looked slightly more normal, like a person overcoming a cold rather than recovering in the ICU. Now in a t-shirt and joggers, you could see the monitoring cuff on his arm and the wires coming out of his chest were bunched in the middle and falling out of the shirt's collar. All IVs and ports were visible to the world as well. Also different from the previous visit was the coloring of his skin and the size of the swelling. The area around his eye was red, blue, and puffy like it had been punched a couple of times. His mouth was normal on one side and swollen on the other. Even under his jaw was bigger than normal. He may have been conscious when they came in, but he was not really in the room. Jay was too zoned out and in pain to really add something to the scene. He was holding ice packs to his face and staring at the ceiling as they all got situated, only blinking back into the world when Adam asked him something, twice.

"Hey man, you're looking great. Are you going to be offended if we eat something?" He and Kim held up bags of bagels and drink carriers of coffee, getting nothing in return.

"Jay, are you ok? Can you hear me?" Jay slowly blinked before lifting his shirt up to reveal the feeding tube and the murky, white liquid dripping into his stomach, giving Adam a thumbs up in his direction before making eye contact. They all smirked as food and drink were handed out. Jay sat himself up in bed and rested against the pillows, giving his guests the full view of his temporarily messed up face. Try as they might, it was hard to not wince or give out sorry faces. Jay felt whatever they were thinking and looked down at the sheets, suddenly embarrassed that they were there.

"Hey, it'll pass. Don't worry about it. Plus, you're face has somehow improved through all this so…" Jay looked up at Antonio and smirked, wincing shortly after. He closed his eyes as they ate, using the free moments to mentally escape the pain. Will gently shook his shoulder after a time, asking if he was up for getting an update. He responded with a quick nod before putting the ice packs down. They all looked to each other, telling the other one to get things rolling. Jay gave them a 'well?!' face before the story telling task landed in Voight's lap.

"Jason Briggs. It's him. He's the one behind all this." Jay's face went white, his eyes grew wide with shock. He leaned forward a little and messed with the IV port in his right hand, slowly shaking his head after a time. He picked up the board and wrote down, 'haven't heard that name in forever. How do you know?'

"He left his finger print on the bomb that was attached to your front door. A calling card of sorts." Jay's face scrunched at his eyebrows, clearly unaware of this 'bomb on the front door' story. They all glanced over at Hailey, who threw her hands up.

"He was asleep and I didn't want to wake him up with…that. I was going to tell him this morning but you all showed up." She and Jay made eye contact for a brief second before he turned back to Voight, clearly wanting answers.

"She and Kim went to your place last night to get some things and heard the sound of a ticking bomb on the other side. Turns out it was a bomb that was rigged similar to the bullet casing in the truck. Jason's print was front and center on the bomb's display. From there, it was a matter of filling in the pieces and tracking down his place." Jay exhaled as he closed his eyes, raising his eyebrows as Voight spoke. It was quiet after that, everyone not sure if they should say something or just leave Jay alone. Will broke the pin drop silence after a moment.

"Jay, you ok?" There was the slightest sniff as Jay rubbed under his nose, nodding as he gave the 'move along' motion with his hands.

"We talked to Mouse and he filled us in on Jason's past and…that day. It became pretty obvious this was our guy. We also got in contact with Dr. Charles who informed us that after Jason's discharge, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and ASPD, which explain how he had the mindset to do all that he did. It's likely he's off his meds right now and is living in a halfway house. We located the halfway house and…um…we found this." Atwater, Kim, and Adam placed their phones on the bed, waiting for the incoming freak out.

He just stared at them for minutes before scrolling to the next set of images. There wasn't any emotion, nor were there any tears. He just absorbed everything, nodding after a time before looking up at the concerned group. Will and Hailey questioned what Jay was looking at and he eventually handed them the phones, staring into nothing as they gasped and were tearful. Their investigation of the images was quick and phones were soon returned to their owners.

"I'm so sorry, Jay," Kim spoke after some time. Jay just shrugged before writing on the whiteboard.

"Where is he?"

"He wasn't there so as of right now…he's in the wind. We've got a BOLO out and every public transportation station and airport has his picture. He's not getting away with this." Jay just nodded as he daydreamed, accepting the news even if he didn't completely believe it.

"Did you have any idea he was following you? Any suspicion things weren't ok?" Jay shook his head, scratching his forehead before picking up the ice pack and retuning it to his face. Just when the day of misery couldn't get any worse, a whole new level dropped out from under him.

…

Business was running as usual down in the ED. It was a typical February weekday with the latest round of flu patients sneezing and coughing in the waiting area, snow shoveling injuries in the trauma rooms, and a random guy who somehow got an ice pick stuck up his bottom and claimed he fell on it. Nurses were throwing a million questions at Maggie every moment with doctors asking her to order tests and consults as well. Her work phone was constantly lit and buzzing. By now she was a seasoned pro at this and took everything thrown at her and made it all work out. It was a beautiful symphony to watch. However, the side effect of doing everything by one's self is the great chance of missing the small things: people sneaking in, patients giving out vital information amongst trivial ones, or calling someone by the wrong name. Today was no exception. A nurse at the waiting room desk told her about someone wanting visitation to a patient in the ICU and at first, she didn't think twice about it. With everything else going on, this was a quick decision that didn't require much of her. However, when said person beelined it for her, that's when she realized how wrong that was.

"Ma'am, which floor is the ICU on? My long time friend is there and he's recovering from a terrible attack and I need to see him." Maggie had her back to him as she spoke.

"Fifth floor, what's your friend's name I…" She stopped when she turned around and saw him. He was thinner than his photo and his skin was sunken. He'd let himself go from the time his photo was taken because the person in front of Maggie was disheveled and looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. But regardless, it was Jason Briggs in the flesh and she had let him through the gates.

"Jay, Jay Halstead," he responded without hesitation, smiling after he finished. It was evil and almost victorious; like he was excited about Jay's current location. She opened her mouth, stumbling before actual words finally came out.

"You know what, sir? I believe he was just sent for scans so let me call up to his doctor and see when he'll be done. Just a second."

"That's fine. You can tell Sergeant Voight I'm waiting for him arrest me and I'll be waiting right here." Jason proceeded to fall to his knees and place his hands behind his head, the evil smile still wide on his face.

…

"Yeah."

"Hank, I have Jason Briggs in the ED waiting for you." Voight didn't respond, just hung the phone up as his face grew worried. Whatever conversation was going on in the room ceased, everyone turning to face the suddenly quiet man. He and Jay made eye contact for a couple of moments, Jay somehow knowing what was said. He nodded once, instructing everyone to go do their thing.

"Hailey, stay with them. Everyone else, let's go." Will was a little dumbfounded by their swift and coded departure. He looked to Hailey and got a shrug. Jay wrote down, 'Briggs. He's here.' That got everyone to uncomfortably adjust in their chair.

…

The elevator doors opened to a cleared out ED with Maggie and a few hundred police officers surrounding enemy number one. He was still on his knees and still holding his hands behind his head. Voight stood in from him as Adam and Atwater placed cuffs on him, forcing him upright after a time. Now inches away from the animal, Voight concluded that Jason Briggs truly wasn't human anymore. There was nothing behind his eyes, no soul that shown him to be real. Everything about him was dark, evil. Dare I say, the closer you got to him, the colder you and the world felt. Revenge, horror, darkness was dictating this guy's every moment on earth. More than anything, Voight wanted to kill this soulless punk right then and there. But Jay wouldn't have it and neither would the witnesses in the ED. So instead, he grabbed Jason's right arm and forcefully escorted him to his car, just dying to get him in the cage.

…

The smiling, happy face that greeted them in the ED vanished as they threw him in an interrogation room. Now, he was a mute, emotionless body cuffed to the chair opposite from Voight and Antonio. They asked him a question and got a zoned out stare. They threatened the worst treatment in prison and Briggs didn't even flinch. The creepy split personality was rearing its' ugly head. The remaining members of Intelligence were on the other side witnessing the show, quickly losing their ability to hold emotions back. Whether the whole thing was a performance or not, he was winning.

"You've been busy the last year or so, Jason. We saw your place and all the stuff in it. You're a very detailed, obsessed person."

Nothing.

"Look, I don't care if you say a word. We've got enough evidence to lock you up for a very long time. We have your print on the bomb planted at Jay's place and the surveillance on him showed your intent to harm him and the photos and information on the bar where Jay was shot are enough to convince a jury. We just want to know what's next. What's the endgame here?"

Nothing.

"We know about your time in the military and we know about that day. Jay didn't force you to do it. You did. So why blame him all these years for the outcome of your life?"

"Not going home," Jason whispered ever so quietly.

"Excuse me?"

"Not going home," he mumbled a little louder.

"Explain that," Antonio responded. Jason just looked right at the two way mirror and smirked.

"Who's not going home?" Jason resumed his robotic countenance. Voight tried looking into the eyes, but only saw darkness. The light in his eyes went out some time ago. No one was home in there. The kid was nothing more than a vessel fulfilling a life long fantasy. They weren't going to get anything out of him. So he stood and left, listening to Jason repeat his three word line with no life behind it.

…

Jay eventually fell asleep after the team left. He didn't do too much after their departure which had Will and Hailey worried. Will chalked it up day three pain but Hailey was suspicious. He hadn't been like this his entire hospital stay and it was odd how quickly his demeanor changed. She wondered if he knew something or was trying to mentally connect the dots. He didn't attempt to strike up a conversation and it took multiple times of questioning for him to reconnect with the world. He at some point rolled on his side with the ice packs and was soon asleep. Will had stepped out to get something to eat when the nurse came in. She mentioned something about an x-ray or scan and Hailey didn't think much of it.

"Hey, doc wants new scans of his face. Just to make sure everything still looks ok" she commented. Hailey quietly got out of the chair and nudged Jay's shoulder a couple of times, receiving slow blinks and a groan after awhile.

"Sorry, you've gotta get up." He looked up at her with a desperate face, asking her to make it all stop, before nodding and rolling over. He got himself into a sitting position before they escorted him to the wheelchair.

"It'll be quick," the nurse encouraged, Jay only nodding. As they left, Hailey waved trying to lift Jay's spirits. He looked like he wanted to be anywhere but heading upstairs. He was miserable and tired and didn't want to deal with this anymore. She watched till they disappeared down the hall before cleaning up the place. She was in the bathroom organizing Jay's bathroom bag when Will returned.

"Hello?! Where is everyone?"

"In here. Jay just went upstairs for a test or a scan or something."

"Why? There's no reason for him to have one." Hailey stopped dead in her organizing tracks. She was instantly numb and there was that sick de ja vu feeling. She forced herself to shuffle out to the bathroom door and fling it open, looking stunned as she stood in the doorway.

"Please tell me you're kidding." Will was now joining her in the uneasy/worried party.

"No…they got them right after the surgery and there isn't a reason to get new scans. Everything's too swollen to get a good image." It was happening, again. Hailey was watching Jay fall into trouble right under her watch. Here they go again. Will was the first to bolt out of the room, Hailey quickly in tow. She called Voight as the two of them rode the elevator three floors up, each encouraging the car to ascend faster.

"Get back here, quick. Jay's in trouble."

…

Since he couldn't verbalize anything, the ride to the testing room was quiet. Even in his semi-conscious state, Jay couldn't ignore the twinge of uneasiness. Something was off but he didn't know what. It was like that feeling when you know you're missing something but don't know what that thing is. He kept running things through his head but would always dead-end at a question mark. Why did Jason come to the ED willingly? What was the meaning behind the bomb at his place? Why all the surveillance only to attack once? And why didn't the shot to his face kill him? It was a small miracle that things hit at the angle they did and that he pulled through. Or perhaps that was the intention for the bigger picture. Jay shook his head as the elevator doors pulled open.

"You ok, Jay," the nurse asked? He nodded his head as he adjusted his weight in the wheelchair, summarizing his mental bunny trails as side effects of the drugs, exhaustion, and trauma. The passing of the patient from ICU nurse to lab tech was uneventful and soon Jay was sitting across from the MRI machine. The tech helped him off the chair and sat him on the table that slid under the powerful scanner.

"Give me one second, Mr. Halstead, to warm up the machine before we get you all set up. This is a mild sedative to help calm you during the test." He watched as the syringe was pushed into one of the IV ports and the clear liquid flowed into his veins. It was when the guy stepped away that Jay remembered someone telling him that the plate on his cheekbone was metal. Metal. The thing that'll rip out of his skin when under the powerful magnet of a MAGNETIC Resonance Imaging machine. If he knew this truth, people in the medical field definitely knew this as well. No doctor would order that type of scan for him. That's when it all clicked. He was injured in that way to make him unable to call out for help. Jason's willing surrender was to drop everyone's suspicions, creating no reason for people to suspect the 'needed scan.' And the mild sedative that was just inserted into him was to make him incapable of stopping his incoming doom. Everything led to this precise moment. This is where he was going to die. Hello, fight or flight mode. The tech seemed to understand Jay's epiphany moment because he looked over at Jay, both making eye contact before the struggling got underway.

Jay concluded he had minutes before he was entirely unconscious so swift action was vital. As best he could, he lunged for his attacker, making them both fall to the floor with Jay at the bottom of the pile. The attacker must've ripped out IVs on the way down because Jay's arms were soon in pain but free to move about. He tried to put his attacker in a sleeper hold but was soon met with the elbow of the man, everything going white and fuzzy as he felt the impact on his precious cheekbone. Something told him to keep moving, to stay awake or it was all over. The seconds Jay was absorbing the white hot pain, the attacker freed himself and was soon upright, charging for the exit. Jay used his foot to trip the guy before maneuvering himself upright and elbowing the guy in the back, hard. Alas, he didn't stay down for long. He heard a satisfying gasp from the attacker before kicking the guy back to the ground, locking an elbow under the guy's neck. Jay missed the first strike, but was hit hard with the second. This time, his broken jaw was struck and that floating pain moment reappeared. He blinked, kept telling himself to breathe, before reconnecting with reality. He felt the feeding tube get yanked but ignored the pain, not relaxing his grip on the guy's neck. It was a lifetime later, but soon the writhing body under him went limp, allowing Jay to exhale before scooting away. Jay managed to make himself stand and take a couple of steps back, catching his breath while staring at his handiwork. He backed all the way to the wall before allowing the sedative to finally work its' magic. Everything hurt, he was probably in need of medical attention, but he didn't care. Sweet victory was his.

…

 _Three minutes later_

Hailey kicked the door open, Will giving her a thumbs up for her effort. The two of them briefly stood in the doorway, witnessing the evidence of a struggle and two bodies lying motionless in the room. Jay was slumped over on his left side passed out with the attacker two feet away unconscious on his back. Will went to Jay while Hailey cuffed the attacker. He was stirring from his slumber as the cuffs clicked tight. He tried to fight her, but was met with a kick to his side.

"Nice try. You're under arrest for the attempted murder of a Chicago police officer. Get up." By now, hospital staff and police officers were peering into the room, gawking and gasping over the scene. Hailey handed off the perp to one of the officers before kneeling next to Will and Jay. The sources of the yanked out IVs was dripping blood now and there was a growing blood stain on Jay's shirt from the missing feeding tube.

"It doesn't look like he broke any needles, thank God."

"Is he alive?"

"Yeah, pulse is strong so he's just unconscious." Hailey held up a vial and put it in Will's face.

"I found this in the guy's pocket."

"Ketamine. He'll wake up in a couple of minutes. How he was able to do all of this while on that is…" Will trailed off as Jay began to stir, fingers and toes twitching before the eyelids slowly slipped open.

"Hey man, you're ok." Jay flinched, readying himself for another blow.

"Whoa, whoa. It's all over. Just relax and breathe. You're ok, just lie here and breathe." Will placed a hand on Jay's chest, waiting for his brother's body to relax. Hailey sat motionless during this time, watching the brotherly bond unfold in front of her. Will snapped her mental wandering.

"Hey, can you press this to the blood on his arm?" She didn't protest, just scooted closer and did as she was instructed. Will used his free hand to examine the bleeding on Jay's face. He barely touched Jay's left cheek before Jay winced in pain.

"Yup, it's broken. Dammit." He looked up to one of the nurses standing in the doorway.

"Page ortho, he's going to need to go up soon." Jay began to panic a little, his breathing getting quicker and head shaking.

"Sorry, bud. But its' gotta get fixed. You're going to be fine." Will felt around the jaw, finding the same conclusion.

"And the jaw is broken. I'm going to sit you up and cut the wiring, ok?" Jay nodded as Will and Hailey sat him against the wall, Will reaching for the wire cutters before talking.

"Your jaw is misaligned right now so this will help the pain a little bit. You're not supposed to talk but I know that's not going to happen. Keep it to a minimum." Jay nodded before allowing Will to clip his mouth free. In seconds, Jay was exhaling through his mouth, feeling the nausea from the ketamine creeping up.

"Hey," the rough voice commented as Will put the wire cutters away. They all half laughed, beginning to absorb what went down minutes ago.

"I'm gunna puke," Jay spoke after a moment, leaning over as the bile and nutrient pack made its' way out of him. Will rubbed his back while Hailey told him everything was fine, the episode was over in a minute or so. Will wiped under his mouth as Jay caught his breath, wincing with every inhale.

"It's over," Hailey announced before gently hugging her partner, Will smirking at the two of them.

"I'm sorry," Jay whispered before the tears fell. Hailey didn't let go of him, repeating to Jay that everything was fine. She figured it was the drugs messing with him and he probably wouldn't remember any of this. She pulled away after a moment, letting Jay wipe under his eyes.

"Pre-op is ready for him," a nurse announced, pointing to the wheelchair waiting for its' rider. Jay looked at Will with a worried face, Will patting his brother's back before helping him up.

"You're going to be fine. It shouldn't take as long as the first one. I know it's going to set recovery back for a couple of weeks, but things will work out. We'll both come with you." Jay, Will, Hailey and the pre-op nurse all boarded the elevator and rode in silence. Will noticed Hailey's and Jay's hand holding and smiled, watching as Jay's face turned red while feeling his brother's stare.

…

 _Forty-five minutes later_

What a difference three days made. Will found himself venturing into the same waiting room he waited seven plus hours in that night. He felt like he was the star of the _Truman Show._ Same clothing, same occupants, same person and same operation they were all waiting to be over. However, the emotion emitting out of the place was vastly different from that night oh so long ago. All questions had been answered and all villains were locked away in their rightful place. Everyone could finally relax and celebrate what was accomplished. The looking over of one's shoulder was not necessary today or in the foreseeable future. Life was gradually working its' way towards normalcy and everyone was elated for this truth. Differing from three days ago, Will opened the door to sleeping bodies draped across multiple chairs. Also different from three days ago, no one worried about Jay. Obviously, they were concerned and aware of the delicate nature of being under the knife especially in such a public area. But unlike the first time round, he wasn't battling for his life. This was a correction, a follow-up if you will.

Also opposite from the first surgery, Jay was conscious and aware of what was going on around him. In pre-op, it was clear to see the uneasiness. He attempted his best cover, but the support group wasn't buying it. He hated that he was having to go back to square one. Whatever progress was made was erased by connecting with another person's elbow. He now knew what he'd be waking up to and the miserable early days that were right ahead of him. He wasn't looking forward to waking up and not being able to speak, but the pain and soreness he was currently experiencing made him want the surgery to be done and over with. Anything was better than his current predicament. It was a case of mixed emotions and he just wanted these days to be in the past, soon. Life in hospitals wasn't for everyone and boy did he hate it.

Hailey stayed with him till it was time for the feeding tube to be re-inserted. She held his hand through the IV inserts and swore to not look as Will and the nurse switched out his attire. She witnessed the monitoring cuff and leads get put back in their designated places. The whole time, it was clear to see Jay's silent resistance of it all, not believing he was going back to the starting line. She did her best to distract and encourage him, reminding him things were only going to get better from here. And plus, he knew he could handle whatever the other side had in store. But the feeding tube was where she drew the line. Her reasoning was that their partnership and friendship didn't include witnessing that in their contract. That made Jay smirk. She promised to be there when it was all over and quickly, but not too quickly scooted away. Due to the hole already in place, placing the tube was as simple as numbing the area and feeding a camera through the hole before re-inserting the tube. Even under the light sedation and numbing of the area, Jay couldn't help but squirm through the hole thing. It was awkward, it was weird, it was something he never wanted to repeat. Will talked him through everything and soon the peg and its' line were creating a peak against the hospital gown. The brothers were given a few minutes alone before Jay was whisked off, using their precious speaking moments wisely.

"I'm sorry, Will. I'm sorry you've had to go through all this. And again." Will heard the dread and emotion in his voice, resting on the end of the bed and sighing.

"Jay, none of this is your fault. You did the right thing years ago and it's not your fault that guy turned out the way he did. None of this is on you and no one blames you. It's the risk we take when we do the right thing, knowing the negative outcome it'll bring. But I'm proud of you. And, can we not forget you kinda saved the day today." Jay looked up and smiled at that one, proudly nodding his head.

"Yeah, maybe…"

"Hey, no more talking. I know this is the last time for awhile, but it's not helping things and I'm positive it really hurts." Jay only nodded, focusing his attention on the sheets and the pulse oximeter on his finger. Will took in the battered person in front of him and concluded her never been prouder to call Jay his brother. He was a vision of pain and misery and brokenness. Yet somehow, there was a caring soul in there more concerned with other people's wellbeing than his own. While some may consider that a negative aspect, that's who his brother was. No matter how things effected him, he always put others first. And Will loved that about him and hoped that mindset never changed. Soon the OR nurse stuck her head in and signaled it was time to move. Will walked with Jay to the OR doors, promising to be there when things were done. Jay thanked him with a nod before fixing his gaze forward, ready to get the de ja vu going. Will watched till Jay disappeared behind the big swinging doors before heading for the waiting room.

As Will stood in that doorway, he couldn't help but cry over the beautiful sight. The people in this room gave everything for his brother. They hadn't eaten, slept, or stopped for three days, devoting every ounce of themselves to getting justice for Jay. And now, on the other end of it all, they could all relax and relish in their victory. Will didn't know what to say or do other than silently thank the Lord for these incredible people. He hoped he could return the favor somehow, someday. For now, he took in each tired, sleeping face. Adam and Kim were sleeping against each other. Atwater pushed three chairs together and seemed to collapse on them, an arm hanging over the edge while a spit bubble popped on the side of his face. Hailey was in a corner on the couch, scrunched into a ball and snoring. Voight had even found a wall to sit against and rest his head, the deep, heavy breaths of sleep were an odd thing coming out of him. Will took out his phone and took a pano of the group, knowing Jay would love to see the sight when he got out. Will made it two steps into the room when a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"You share that, it'll be the last thing you do." Will's head snapped over to Trudy, thumbing through a fresh batch of celebrity gossip magazines. He somehow missed her sitting up in another corner.

"I believe someone has developed a liking to those," was Will's best and only response. She scoffed as Will situated himself in the same chair he sat in three days ago.

"Ha, please. I'm not that easily swayed." Will rested his head on his fist, letting out a couple of yawns.

"What's the latest in Hollywood?"

"Meghan Markle's father is a creep. Guy can't take 'go away' for an answer. Will drifted off listening to Trudy banter about the trivial life of the people living in the TV screens.

…

 _Five and a half hours later_

Will and Hailey planted themselves on each side of Jay's bed. The surgery was a great success and Jay was the proud owner of a new metal plate in his cheekbone and a couple of screws and plate in his jaw. Both the upper and lower jaw was re-wired with extra tight banding in his mouth. The incisions made days ago were re-opened, re-sutured, and fresh steri-strips were reapplied. The bruising was multidimensional. Bruises from the first procedure were blending with the fresh, early shades of blue from the latest round of poking and prodding. Even if it was three days ago, they forgot how medicated Jay was that night. While still being asleep, he wasn't the same person they said farewell to. If he was conscious at this moment, he'd likely not remember most of the day. The person asleep next to them was off somewhere else for the moment, drifting in another universe while his body rested. Will looked up at the clock to read eleven fifty-seven PM, feeling like he did this routine not that long ago. He grabbed Jay's hand and squeezed it, thankful that the world's second worst day was almost over.

"It's all done, Jay. We're here whenever you're ready." Will looked off towards something in the corner as Hailey stood to lean over the bed, hovering over Jay's head before carefully placing a kiss on his forehead. She didn't care if Will saw it. After dancing around things the last few months, she couldn't wait a moment longer. The time was here, the moment was just then. Whatever feelings she was squashing that night in the bar a seemingly lifetime ago couldn't be held back anymore. The next step was now. So she and Will sat, each holding a hand and staring into nothing, letting the soft beeps of the heart monitors fill the room. They had a good inkling for what was coming next, but unlike the last time, they were ready for it all.


	6. Epilogue

Epilogue

 **We have arrived at another ending to a story. Thank you all for going on this little journey with me. I am ever reminded that you guys are the best and your words of encouragement were truly little highlights to my day. This has been a fun one and let's close it out together.**

"Have you had braces before?" Jay nodded.

"Ok. So this will be very similar to that. It'll sound like I'm ripping your teeth out but everything is fine. You ready?" Jay nodded before looking up at the drop tile ceiling, just wanting everything to be over. Out of all the doctors in the world, his least favorite were dentists. And while this wasn't a dentist office and the person removing the wiring on his jaw wasn't a dentist, it had that eerie feel to it. The awkward chair that was impossible to get comfortable in. The extra bright circle light above him giving him a mild sunburn. And the poking with shiny instruments sorta sealed the deal. He hated the process but couldn't wait for the result. And so, as the ortho doctor began to relieve the pressure on the jaw and clip things free, Jay's mind wandered to the last six weeks.

He went home four days after the second surgery and had Will stay at his place with him for the next week. He took for granted the act of eating and preparing food because that almost became a full time job. Will made protein shakes three times a day and it only took Jay two days to throw them back up. He never had one of those again. The journey transitioned, or tumbled, into something that could pass off for a _Good Mythical Morning_ episode. Jay wanted a burger, Will would make one, shove it in a blender with a mystery liquid, and then encourage Jay to consume the mystery brown goo. That experiment was a low one. They tried Chinese take out, pizza, steak, you name it, they tried it. There was one particular night around week 3 after a revolting chicken and rice shake. Will was gagging whilst cleaning up the mess when Jay placed his palms on his forehead and spoke through gritted teeth, 'oh this really freakin' sucks.' Will turned around with wide eyes, delighted with his brother's first words and the two wound up having a good laugh, despite the pain it all caused. It was the only time he spoke the last six weeks and it was fitting those were the words. Now, as Jay looked down at the clothing just hanging off his thin frame, he half wished he'd taken the words of advise from Will, the doctors, and nurses and kept the feeding tube in for awhile longer. It would have saved him the trouble and scaring of the last six weeks and he'd probably not be down twenty-six pounds. On the bright side, bring on the eating sessions. A tap on the shoulder brought him back to the weird chair in the procedure room.

"Can you bite down for me?" Jay did as requested, resisting the urge to run his tongue over his brace-free teeth. The doctor ran a mirror along the bite before poking different parts of the upper and lower jaw.

"Does any of this hurt or do you have numbing?" Jay shook his head.

"Ok, open your mouth as wide as you can. Don't push it." Jay did as instructed, getting the same pain free results as the last step.

"Say, hi."

"Hi."

"That felt weird, right?" Jay nodded his head, getting a funny face from the doctor.

"Sorry, yes." The doctor laughed.

"Everything looks good! I'm going to clean your teeth really quick and then you're all set." It was a relaxing procedure and soon Jay was sitting up, now running his tongue all over his strange feeling teeth.

"So, when can I eat something?"

"What, the liquid diet isn't a keeper?" Jay laughed.

"No, sadly."

"You can eat whenever. Just take it easy for a couple of days. Everything is healed, but you haven't used your mouth in awhile so go easy. Don't eat steak or anything but most foods are fine. After those couple of days, you'll be fine." Jay stood and grabbed his coat before heading for the door.

"Thanks, doc."

"My pleasure. I hope we don't have to see each other again." Jay smirked before opening the door, nodding in agreement with the surgeon.

…

The ED was running per usual when the elevator doors slid open. Maggie was instructing someone to go somewhere while nurses and doctors were chatting at the desk in the middle of the room. Natalie noticed Jay looking around the room and grabbed his attention, pointing to trauma 2 before jerking her head in that direction. Jay thanked her with a wave before venturing over to the room and standing outside the door.

"…You are all set Mr. Avery. Remember to elevate that knee and ice it twice a day. I'll go get your discharge papers." He pulled the curtain back to be startled by Jay's standing at the door.

"Hey, don't scare me like that." Jay smirked, raising his eyebrows before stepping back.

"How did it go?"

"Good. Everything looks fine and I got the go ahead to finally eat."

"It's so weird hearing you speak."

"Yeah," Jay laughed while scratching his forehead.

"It's an odd feeling but good also." Will handed off a file to a nurse at the desk as Jay looked down at his phone, Will glancing over at him quickly typing.

"Hailey?"

"Uh huh."

"So, you two…"

"Oh my word, we're not in high school anymore. I don't need you checking in on my personal life."

"Yeah, but I saw you two that day and you both went through stuff." Jay nodded, putting the phone away in his pocket.

"Do you need a way home? I get off in a couple of minutes."

"It's fine. Hailey's coming by in a couple of minutes.."

"-But there's nothing going on between you two," Will teased. Jay rolled his eyes while throwing his head back.

"I'm leaving."

"You look good, Jay,' Will somewhat yelled across the room.

"Thank you," Jay annoyingly replied, waving as he walked through the sliding glass doors.

…

They sat on a bench somewhere on North Avenue Beach, watching the crazy runners jog in below freezing temperatures. They watched while eating combos from _Portillo's,_ Hailey giggling at Jay's over exaggerating of his ability to eat.

"You have no idea how badly I've wanted to do this," Jay confessed about halfway through his hot dog.

"The wire cutters were pretty tempting that last week or so." She looked over at him and smiled while chewing.

"Out of all the places in Chicago, _Portillo's?_ I mean, it's good and all…"

"I'm starving, I didn't really care." They sat there for a while before Jay got up, walking further towards the lake with Hailey close behind. They didn't speak at this time, just sight seeing while feeling the wind whip against them. Walking around the lake in January is an end of the world feeling. There aren't any people, nothing is open, and everything is silent. Buildings are boarded up for the season and things occasionally squeak and groan against the ever present wind. They reached the end of the trail and kept walking, now feeling a combination of sand and snow under their shoes. They reached the concrete drop-off and stood, taking in the beauty of the Chicago skyline. It was a cloudy, slightly foggy day, the very top of the larger buildings behind cut off by the clouds. The vary shades of gray and brown were a stark contrast from the calm blue water of the lake. Lake Shore Drive was in their forefront, but silent moving blips in the grand view of it all. It was late afternoon now and the street lights were popping on again, signaling the incoming loss of light. Hailey silently shivered before looking to her right, getting a good view of Jay's face.

By now, the incision sites were thin, red lines from the newness and healing of the skin. The point where the bullet made contact with Jay's face was a small, purplish circle with a thin line through the middle. The surgeon during the second surgery placed a skin graft in that spot, hoping to alleviate the scaring and deformity of the area. His eye had returned to normal and all the swelling had subsided. So far, things looked good. With time and exposure to the sun, the scars would fade to undetectable lines. Hailey remembered the when Jay finally saw himself for the first time. It was the night he got home and he had excused himself for the night, shooing away Will's help as he walked into the bathroom. Will and Hailey sat in the living room talking about something when they noticed the bathroom light and door hadn't changed in awhile. Will got up to leave and knocked on the door, getting nothing in return. Will called Jay's name several times before the lock sounded off, door still unopened.

"Jay? I'm coming in," Will responded before turning the knob. Hailey didn't venture in, but stood close enough to hear sniffing and reassuring. Will kept repeating that everything was fine and things would heal, but the sniffing continued. It was quite some time later before the door opened, a clearly distraught Jay coming out first with Will rubbing his back and escorting him to bed. Hailey didn't know what to say or do, other then nod and step away. From that night, Jay got more comfortable with things, even showing up to work three weeks after the shooting. He got that people stared at him, but he didn't care. His face went through something horrible and the scars told the tale of a healing body. It made for an interesting story some day.

"Briggs gets incarcerated today," Jay asked, interrupting Hailey's thoughts?

"Um, yeah. He and the accomplice are heading in today."

"Who was the other guy?"

"His name is Jeremy Bois. Briggs met him during one of his rehab stints and the two bonded over you, in a way. He helped him with surveillance and volunteered to take on the final act when Briggs was arrested." Jay shook his head, not breaking his gaze of the city.

"You throw an idea like that in a place like that, it won't take long to find someone willing and able to do something of that caliber."

"Yeah." They stood in silence for a few minutes after that, hands tucked in pockets while they rolled their head into their chest. Jay turned to face Hailey before speaking.

"So, we need to talk about..this." Jay motioned his finger between the two of them, getting a held breath response.

"Yeah, we probably should."

"That night, why did you really follow me out to the car?" Jay looked at something behind her before replying.

"Because as much as I don't like to get in the way of things, I was a little jealous of Adam. I don't know, when you left, it was hard to not chase you down and convince you to stay longer. So if nothing else, I wanted to be with you. Let you know that I'm here whenever you're ready." Hailey smirked.

"All that in handing me a jacket?"

"Yeah, sure. Definitely." They both laughed.

"Look, it's pretty obvious there's something here and…I'd like to play that out. But, you and Adam.."

"-Don't worry about it." Jay raised his eyebrows a little bit, clearly unaware of the break up.

"When?"

"The second night after the shooting."

" I hope it wasn't my fault." Hailey shook her head.

"No. It was actually Adam who called it off. Said he didn't want to get in the way of us."

"Oh really…" Jay trailed off, laughing as Hailey looked at him oddly.

"Didn't realize it was that obvious. So.." But Jay didn't get to finish that, because Hailey stepped in and did something she'd wanted to do for some time now. They stood there for a couple of moments embracing each other's compassionate kiss, not caring if someone saw them. They waited forever for this and almost didn't get the opportunity to see it through. If there was a lesson to learn from all this, it's that life is too short to not answer the 'what if.' It may have taken a near death moment to finally push them into gear, but in some twisted way, each was glad for the strong encouragement. Without it, who knows when things would've positively changed. At some point, they released the other person, holding their heads close together while breathing, eyes locked on each other before smiling. Someone whistled behind them and Jay's head snapped around, laughing at the admirer. They didn't say anything nor did they need to. Hailey and Jay just looked at each other, knowing what was coming next.

"Yes, let's do this." Jay humorously gave Hailey two thumbs up.

"So, I feel the next step is to take you out."

"Sounds good, but I'm picking the place this time." Jay looked at her horrified as she laughed, eventually shrugging his shoulders.

"Deal. Let's get out of here, I'm freezing." And so the two strolled off under the twinkling lights of the city and quiet lull of the lake's waves. Neither knowing what the next day had in store, but suddenly not caring. For the moment, life was projecting upward and they were completely alright with this.

 _Screen fades to black. End credits roll._


End file.
